The present disclosure relates generally to the field of baffles, and, more particularly, to the field of baffles for a kitchen hood.
Cooking foods containing oily substances causes the emission of aerosols and vapors that include substances such as grease, soot, etc. that may coat kitchen hoods and ductwork which are meant to channel the emissions away from the kitchen environment. Grease that is not deposited on the ductwork is carried to the exterior of the building where it creates further problems. For example, grease buildup on the exterior of the building may cause the building to decay at a faster rate (e.g., grease buildup on a rubber membrane roof) and adversely affect the appearance of the building. Grease deposited at the outlet of the exhaust/duct system may also act as a source of fuel for a fire or as a slippery coating on walkways. To minimize these problems, kitchen hoods have been designed to carry, capture, and contain grease.
Conventional kitchen hoods use a baffle or mesh filter in the hood or ductwork to capture the effluent grease particles. A baffle generally operates by deflecting the exhaust stream as it passes through the baffle so that heavier substances (e.g. liquids such as grease, solids, etc.) imp act the surface of the baffle. After impacting the surface of the baffle, these substances drain to a collection area. A mesh filter typically uses fibers or metal scrim to capture the grease.
Unfortunately, these conventional filters suffer from a number of deficiencies. These filters generally capture only larger substances and have limited efficiency. Because more of the substances make it through these filters and are deposited inside the ductwork or outside the building, these areas must be cleaned more often, which often entails considerable additional expense. Also, in some instances, conventional filters such as mesh filters need frequent cleaning and/or replacement. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved baffle.
Of course, the claims define the scope of the subject matter for which protection is sought, regardless of whether any of the aforementioned disadvantages are overcome by the subject matter recited in the claims. Also, the terms recited in the claims should be given their ordinary and customary meaning as would be recognized by those of skill in the art, except, to the extent a term is used herein in a manner more expansive than its ordinary and customary meaning, the term should be given its ordinary and customary meaning plus the additional expansive meaning, or except if a term has been explicitly defined to have a different meaning by reciting the term followed by the phase “as used herein shall mean” or similar language. Accordingly, the claims are not tied to any particular embodiment, feature, or combination of features other than those explicitly recited in the claims.